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The Catholic Lawyers’ Society held their annual retreat from 30.8.2007 to 2.9.2007 at the Pekan Bungalow in Fraser’s Hill. The picturesque hill resort set amidst lush foliage provided a restful and serene setting for the spiritual experience attended by 14 lawyers.

The retreat, themed “Evaluating and Valuing our Christian growth” was conducted by Rev. Fr. David Reegon (Ofm). Read more »

The Catholic Lawyers’ Society, KL together with the Selangor Bar Legal Aid Centre held a “Law Awareness Programme” at the Church of St. Anne in Port Klang, Selangor.

The legal clinic was held on the last day of St. Anne’s feast that was celebrated for a week long at the Church. Read more »

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said today Malaysia is not a secular state, but an Islamic state driven by the fundamentals of Islam.

"Islam is the official religion and Malaysia is an Islamic state, an Islamic state that respects the rights of the non-Muslims and we protect them," he said when asked to comment on concerns that Malaysia was moving from a secular government to an Islamic State and whether is Malaysia is one. Read more »

Is Malaysia an Islamic or a secular state? Some constitutional law experts and organisations have different views on this. Read more »

M Revathi, 29, still steadfastly wants to remain a Hindu, despite her six month detention by religious authorities and ongoing efforts to make her a Muslim.

“My name is Revathi. I want to hold on to that name - forever. I want to drop the name Siti Fatimah,” Revathi, sporting pottu (Hindu symbol) on her forehead, told reporters outside the Shah Alam High Court today. Read more »

A Malaysian woman held for months in an Islamic rehabilitation centre says she was subjected to mental torture for insisting her religion is Hinduism.

Revathi Massosai, the name by which she wants to be known, says she was forced to eat beef despite being a Hindu.

Miss Massosai was seized by the Islamic authorities in January when she went to court to ask that she be registered as a Hindu rather than a Muslim. Read more »

Dataran Merdeka, where the proclamation of Malaysia's independence from colonial rule rang out half a century ago, once again become the stage for another cry for freedom.

This time around, it concerned religion and the freedom to love.

Last night, some 500 people congregated at Dataran Merdeka to hold a candlelight vigil to protest the continued detention of M Revathi at an Islamic rehabilitation centre. Read more »

Civil Society looks to the Judicial System of a nation as the ultimate guardian of enshrined constitutional rights.

In this respect the Catholic Lawyers Society expresses its disappointment in the majority Federal Court decision of Lina Joy -vs- Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan and 2 Others for failing to recognize an individual's right to profess the religion of her choice. Read more »

NECF Malaysia is gravely disappointed by and dissatisfied with the Federal Court’s dismissal of Lina Joy’s appeal.

First of all, the Federal Court’s decision does not uphold the constitutional safeguard of freedom of religion. It is a person’s fundamental right to profess a religion of her own choice free from compulsion or interference by the state or its institutions. Read more »

Malaysia’s highest court on Wednesday refused to recognize the conversion of a Muslim-born woman to Christianity, ruling that the matter was beyond the jurisdiction of the country’s civil courts and should be handled by religious authorities.

The Federal Court was divided 2 to 1, with the only non-Muslim judge, Richard Malanjum, dissenting forcefully and arguing that the Constitution must remain the supreme law of the land. Read more »